Inuyasha: The Bright Light
by NeoSerendipity
Summary: PG13 for now, will be rated R in future. What if Kagome never existed? What if another girl fell into the Bone Eating Well? What if she had a greater purpose in feudal Japan besides locating the Shikon no Tama?


Inuyasha : The Bright Light  
  
By: Andrea MacFarlane  
  
Email: ama-macfarlane@rogers.com  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Inuyasha, I only own my own characters and dialogue. ^_^ No profit is being made from this fanfiction so please don't expect to get much from me if you sue.  
  
Author's Note: I've seen up to episode 72 of the Inuyasha anime so I know pretty much what I'm doing. I hope in any case. The main character that I'm using is to replace Kagome, so don't expect to see or here from Kagome. My characters name is Akarui Kashoku. Remember that in Japanese names the second part of the name is actually the first name and the first section is the surname. So in NA she would be Kashoku Akarui.  
  
__________  
  
Chapter 1: The Girl Who Overcame Time and the Boy Who Was Just Overcome __________  
  
It was a cool day, fall was approaching and the summer fun was slowly getting ebbed away by the threat of the cold. At the Higurashi Temple, a field trip for school in and around the district had been arranged. Each history class had come to learn about the Temple's history. One attraction caught the eye of one of the female students.  
  
"This class, is the "Bone Eating Well"! In Feudal Japan, people believed that this well would make the bones of enemies disappear if thrown into the well. Many people believe that the well still harbours old ghosts of those who fought and lost..."  
  
Kashoku Akarui, seventeen year old highschool student, tuned out the sound of her teacher's voice. Her eyes had locked onto the well in front of her. Something seemed strangely familiar and strangely repelling all at once. She'd never seen the well before, she lived much to far away to be able to walk to this temple. She couldn't understand it.  
  
Tucking a lock of her black hair behind her ear she reached into her pocket and withdrew her hair elastic. She moved the souveneir Shikon no Tama from her right hand into her left and began to put her long hair up into a ponytail. She hated how her hair always got into her face.  
  
Just as she finished securing her hair back, she shifted her hands to adjust her back pack when her Shikon no Tama slipped from her fingers and rolled beneath the red rope barrier leading towards the old well.  
  
'Crap,' she thought with disgust.  
  
Waiting until her class had moved along ahead she slipped beneath the rope and as she leaned down to pick up the small crystal ball, several hands wrapped themselves around her and she suddenly fund herself falling into the well. Her eyes widened at the shock and belted out an earth shattering scream.  
  
The ghostly arms that had taken hold of her began to tighten as they took on a physical substance. Six arms, pale and long, began to turn her around. It was then that Kashoku began to realize that something was wrong, she should have landed on the bottom of the well by now.  
  
"I can feel it...."an eerie voice proclaimed as Kashoku was turned entirely around.  
  
She was greeted with the sight of some sort of monstrous woman. The first set of the woman's hands went to grip Kashoku's face.  
  
"Where is it? I can feel it all over you," the youkai said before stretching out her long tongue to lick the side of Kashoku's face. "My body is already forming again, I can feel the power of the Shikon no Tama!"  
  
Kashoku didn't know what else to do in order to protect herself. She tried to scream again but her voice was caught. When the youkai woman moved again to do something, Kashoku wriggled her arm free and held it out in front of her.  
  
"STOP!"  
  
Suddenly a brilliant warmth began to emanate from Kashoku's hand. She opened her eyes and a brilliant light was bursting from her hand and slamming into the youkai. The youkai screamed and as she was blasted back, one of her arms ripped off in its desperate attempt to keep hold of Kashoku.  
  
The world around her went dark as Kashoku passed out from the excitement.  
  
***  
  
Waking up at the bottom of a well with bones littered around you was definitely not something Kashoku had expected. Perhaps she had fallen down the well, there hadn't been a youkai at all. That frightening part had been a dream. Everyone must have been worried about her, she didn't know how long she'd been unconcious for but it certainly must have been a while, of that she was sure.  
  
As she hoisted herself over the last part of the well, Kashoku's eyes widened in surprise. She definitely wasn't in Tokyo anymore. Gone was the building that surrounded the well, gone was the shrine, all was replaced by trees and a clearing that the well was located in.  
  
"I really must be dreaming," Kashoku said aloud to reassure herself.  
  
Noises in the distance caught her attention and Kashoku moved away from the Bone Eating Well. Passing through a patch of underbrush, she stumbled lightly but caught herself on a large tree root. Looking up at the tree she stared with wide eyes. Someone was pinned against the tree with an arrow through their heart. Her dream was certainly getting stranger and stranger. Moving up the large tree roots she managed to get in front of the person without ripping her school uniform.  
  
It was strange, it felt like she knew the man that was pinned against the tree, but she knew she'd never seen him before in her life. A ghostly pain shot across her right shoulder and she rubbed it absently. It was when she noticed the dog-like ears and the clawed hands. He was a youkai! But, strangely enough, she wasn't frightened of this youkai as much as she was frightened of the other one that had attacked her. Reaching up she gently touched one of his ears and smiled. It was really kinda cute.  
  
"Halt! Remove yourself from Inuyasha Forest if you know what is good for you!"  
  
Kashoku turned quickly at the sound of an old woman's voice.  
  
"Onee-sama!" the old woman cried and dropped her bow and arrow.  
  
"I'm not your sister! You're old enough to be my grandmother!" Kashoku yelled back as she jumped down from her spot.  
  
"Gomen, you simply look amazingly like her. Please follow me back to the village."  
  
Kashoku followed after the old woman into the village and she stared around with an observant eye. She'd never seen any kind of living quarters like these, it reminded her of the pictures she'd seen in her textbook. The rememberence of her school bag smacked Kashoku in the face.  
  
"Wait! I've got to get my bag!" she cried turning to go back into the forest.  
  
It was then that a huge crash sounded from behind her. It was the centipede-woman youkai again!  
  
"Shikon no Tama! Give it to me!" the youkai cried.  
  
Kashoku felt the fear overtake her and she darted as fast as she could away from the village and back into the forest. As she passed through the underbrush again her green-pleated skirt got caught on one of the branches. When she turned to release it she saw the youkai crashing it's way up towards her. She turned without releasing her skirt and a large part of it tore away on the branches.  
  
Somehow she ended up back at the great sacred tree with the dog-boy. When she saw him open his golden eyes she screamed.  
  
"Nantaru?!" the dog-boy asked rudely. "Your wearing pretty weird clothes Kikyou. I thought being a miko helped you with the common sense, you look like a whore missing her painted face." Kashoku stared at him with calculating eyes. It was a dream, so of course things like this would happen right? She calmed down enough to reply to his rude words. "This is my school uniform for your information dog-boy! Plus, my name is not Kikyou, it's Kashoku! KA-SHO-KU!" "Keh!" Kashoku climbed the tree roots again and stood in front of him. It was a dream, just a dream. So she knew that because it was her dream she could do anything she wanted. She really disliked rude people and now she could actually do something about it! *Thwak!* A stunned look crossed his face before he began sniffing the air. "Your definitely not Kikyou, she wouldn't be stupid enough to do that or allow a youkai to come near the village." "Give Shikon no Tama!" the centipede youkai screeched as she wrapped her body around the tree and began to crush Kashoku and the dog-boy. "Pull out the arrow if you want to live." he said harshly as she squeezed her eyes shut against the pain. "No! Don't do it Kashoku! Don't free Inuyasha!" the old woman from the village cried out as she arrived with several of the village men.  
  
"Quiet Baba! Do it Kashoku, you don't want to die here."  
  
Kashoku couldn't stand the pain of being crushed anymore. She reached up slowly, her entire body quivering, and grabbed the shaft of the arrow. When she began to pull it she felt power rising in her. Almost instantly, the arrow in her grasp burst into light and disappeared. Muffled shouts of surprise were heard from behind her, but Kashoku was oblivious. The dog-boy Inuyasha, was glowing and smiling with a strange unknown glint in his eye.  
  
"A hanyou like you can't defeat me!" the youkai cried with glee.  
  
Inuyasha filled with power long denied him and using his claws he ripped apart the lower body of the youkai.  
  
Kashoku dropped to the ground in an instant, something in this dream was definitely wrong. She was supposed to have control wasn't she?  
  
She didn't even notice the torn body of the centipede youkai heading directly towards her until it was too late and it slammed into her body, ripping her side and sending her flying through the air. As she soared through the air she noticed the shiny object flying along with her. When she crashed into the ground she felt blood draining from her side wound and watched helplessly as the crystal sphere rolled away from her and towards the waiting youkai.  
  
"It's mine at last!" the youkai screamed with triumph. "There's nothing a hanyou like you can do to stop me now!"  
  
Inuyasha smirked before lunging at the youkai and beginning to tear it to shreds. When it lay in pieces on the ground, the body parts began to try and scramble back together.  
  
"Kuso!" Inuyasha growled.  
  
"Finding the glowing flesh Kashoku, find that and you will defeat it." the old woman screamed from the tree line.  
  
Kashoku stumbled to her feet and clutched at her side trying to keep the blood from flowing out of her more. Her eyes grazed across the remains of the centipede until they locked onto the glimmering shadow of the gem incased within a smaller hunk of flesh. Moving quicker than she thought herself possibly able to, she lunged towards the dead flesh and ripped the gem loose, clutching it in her hand she smiled triumphantly at the old woman before fatigue claimed her and she felt herself falling. The use of her legs was not an option as she say Inuyasha speeding towards her. She knew that he wanted the jewel she had clamped in her tight fist.  
  
Out of nowhere an arrow carrying some sort of runic necklace shot towards Inuyasha and as he deflected the arrow, the necklace that trailed after it caught itself around his neck. He seemed not to even notice in his pursuit for the fabled stone. Just before she smacked against the ground he caught her in his arms with a growl.  
  
"Give it to me immediately if you want to live."  
  
Kashoku smiled calmly up at him. "I very much doubt it." she replied before grimacing and clutching her side as the pain shot through her body once more.  
  
"Let the girl go Inuyasha, she isn't Kikyou." the old woman ordered calmly as she approached them.  
  
"Who are you to tell me what to do?" he snarled back.  
  
The old woman chuckled. "I am Kikyou's younger sister Kaede. You were the one who killed my Onee-sama. You will not kill the girl who has her soul. I won't let you take her from me again."  
  
Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly, almost immeasurably as he stared back down at Kashoku. "I will bring her to the village Kaede-baba."  
  
Kaede nodded before turning and heading back through the trees.  
  
Kashoku could feel the tears streaming down her face. This was a nightmare, no dream was ever this painful and assaulting on her senses.  
  
"I want to go home....Let me wake up please..." she whispered.  
  
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as she spoke. "This is no dream. Where did you come from?"  
  
"The well...my bag there..." she whispered again before the blood loss in turn helped to soothe her into unconciousness. 


End file.
